Do you think you’re a shy person? If so, does shyness affect your work and personal life? Have you ever heard of “Social Anxiety Disorder”? You can read the following article to find out the difference.
Anxiety disorders are the most common of mental disorders and affect nearly 30% of adults at some point in their lives. But anxiety disorders are treatable. [8] The most important ideas that can help people with anxiety disorders:
Social anxiety disorder is a common type of anxiety disorder. A person with social anxiety feels symptoms of anxiety or fear in situations where they may be scrutinized, evaluated, or judged by others, such as speaking in public, meeting new people, dating, being on a job interview, answering a question in class, or having to talk to the cashier in the store. Doing everyday things, such as eating or drinking in front of others or using a public restroom, also may cause anxiety or fear due to concerns about being humiliated, judged, and rejected.
Social anxiety disorder usually begins during late childhood and may resemble extreme shyness or avoidance of social situations or interactions. It occurs more frequently in females than in males, and this gender difference is more pronounced in adolescents and young adults. Social anxiety disorder can last for many years, or even a lifetime. [1]
Environment:
A social anxiety disorder may be a learned behavior — some people may develop significant anxiety after an unpleasant or embarrassing social situation. Also, there may be an association between social anxiety disorder and parents who either model anxious behavior in social situations or are more controlling or overprotective of their children.[4]
It is normal for any of us to have experienced symptoms similar to the aforementioned ones in some of the situations in which we will be evaluated, or if we are exposed to a sudden situation at a gathering, but this is not diagnosed as having a social anxiety disorder.
In case the previous symptoms are recurrent, constitute real obstacles in social and professional life and cause isolation from social events and meeting new people in general, a specialist doctor should be referred to in order to make an accurate diagnosis.
A psychiatrist or other mental health specialists can make a diagnosis of social anxiety disorder based on your own description of your symptoms, how they occur, and in what situations. Your doctor will use the criteria listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) to determine if your symptoms warrant a diagnosis.
To be diagnosed with social anxiety disorder, you must have had the symptoms described in the DSM-5 for at least 6 months or longer. The DSM-5 diagnostic criteria also require the exclusion of other mental disorders such as panic disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, or autism spectrum disorder. Therefore, it may take multiple sessions with a mental health specialist before they can confidently diagnose social anxiety disorder [5].
Also read: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Psychotherapy through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):
Thoughts, feelings, and behavior are interrelated, so changing one can help alleviate problems in the other. Cognitive therapy techniques focus on modifying catastrophic thought patterns and beliefs that favor social failure and rejection. Exposure therapies to social situations are designed to gradually encourage the individual to enter into feared social situations and try to survive in those situations. The duration of treatment is approximately 12 sessions. [6]
Cognitive behavioral therapy teaches you different ways of thinking, behaving, and reacting to situations to help you feel less anxious and fearful. Cognitive behavioral therapy can also help you learn and practice social skills, which is very important for treating social anxiety disorder. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been well studied and is the golden standard for psychotherapy. [1]
Different types of medications can be effective in treating this disorder, including:
Both psychotherapy and medication may take some time to work. A healthy lifestyle can also help combat anxiety. Make sure you get enough sleep and exercise, eat a healthy diet, and turn to family and friends you trust for support. [1]
Research results at the University of Cambridge have shown that women are twice as likely to experience anxiety as men. It could be due to differences in brain chemistry and fluctuations in hormones. Reproductive events throughout a woman’s life are associated with hormonal changes that have been linked to anxiety. Women are also more likely to experience physical and mental abuse than men, and abuse has been linked to the development of anxiety disorders. Child abuse is associated with changes in brain chemistry and structure. According to previous research, women who have been sexually assaulted may have abnormal blood flow in the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in processing emotions. [7]
Our initiative is concerned with spreading psychological awareness in society in general and among women in particular; as knowing the symptoms of diseases at an early stage has a significant impact on the treatment journey. We also seek to combat the violence of all kinds against women as it is often a major cause of many mental illnesses.
♀️ Uplifting Syrian Women Initiative aims at sustainable peace building in Syria through targeting women and providing them with free online courses, workshops, discussion sessions and trainings, with a view to achieving the goals of Gender Equality, Quality Education and Decent Work and Economic Growth, which all fall into the interest of society as a whole and serve the purpose of rebuilding it.
References:
[1] NIMH
[2] NCBI
[3] Medical
[4] Mayo Clinic
[5] PSYCOM
[6] APA- Division 12
[8] APA